Hyracotherium (beast like a Hyrax), also known as Eohippus, is a genus of mammal Perissodactyla Palaeotheriidae family.

It is considered an ancestor of the horse, rhinoceros and tapir. It is a quadruped animal that lived in the Northern Hemisphere (Asia, Europe and North America) during the Eocene period, makes 60 to 45 million years. The line to the existing horse evolució through the following animals Preistorica: Oligohippus, Merichippus, Pliohippus. In chronological order.

Hyracotherium was a small herbivore the size of a fox, media cross about 35 inches and weighed 6 kg, had four toes on the forefeet and three on hind paws protected, the central one being longer. These animals were already clearly like the horse, despite its small size and probably lived in forests browsing. His teeth were adapted for the consumption of young leaves of the bushes and his eyes were different from modern horses as they were located more to the center of the head preventing a good side vision (which in the modern horse serves as defensive system), Eohippus but did not need because in the jungle environment in which they lived, was more effective camouflage to avoid predators.